“What impressed me most about this book is how Isaacson managed to pull together all of the wide and varied details of Franklin's life into an incredibly enjoyable narrative. It doesn't read like a novel, but it doesn't read like a history book, either. Usually a very slow reader, this book was so enjoyable I sailed through it (of course, some late nights and long flights across the country helped).
If I had to sum up my impression of Franklin in one sentence, it would be the following: Man, do I feel like an underachiever.
I know that sentence is really about me, but it really gets the point across. Franklin wasn't an overachiever (not by our current understanding, anyway), it's just that he made very effective use of the time he had available. Sailing across the Atlantic, why not do temperature readings of the Gulf Stream? You get the idea.
If you have a list of must-read books, this should go on that list.”
